SEVERAL PRISONS AND JAILS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY
HAVE SWITCHED TO A COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT IS BEYOND FAULTY, SO
FAULTY THAT AFTER PEOPLE DEAL WITH THEIR ARREST WARRANTS,
AFTER PEOPLE ARE ADJUDICATED AND THEIR SITUATION IS SUPPOSED TO
GO AWAY, THE COMPUTER SYSTEM DOESN'T REGISTER IT AND THEN
THEY GET BADGERED AND HARASSED BY POLICE OFFICERS AND SO THE
LATEST CASE HAS TO DO WITH TENNESSEE.
IN FACT, THE SHELBY
COUNTY CORRECTIONAL CENTER IS FACING A CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT
BECAUSE THIS IS NOT THE OTHER ONLY CORRECTIONAL CENTER FACING
A CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT.
THEIR PLACES IN CALIFORNIA AND VARIOUS
OTHER STATES THAT USE THE EXACT SAME SYSTEM AND RAN INTO A
NUMBER OF PROBLEMS.
PEOPLE ENDED UP SPENDING WEEKS BEHIND
BARS WHEN THEY WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO.
SOMETIMES FOR MINOR
INFRACTIONS.
IN MOST CASES, AFTER THEY HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN
FOUND GUILTY OR CONVICTED OF ANYTHING.
I WILL GIVE YOU ONE
EXAMPLE.
THIS IS OUT
OF TENNESSEE.
SO THERE CAN HAVE BEEN COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS FOR QUITE
SOME TIME NOW.
THE COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT THEY'RE USING IS
KNOWN AS THE ODYSSEY CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND THE
OFFICIALS THAT THIS PARTICULAR CORRECTIONAL FACILITY WERE
WARNED THAT IT WAS DEEPLY FLAWED AND THEY WOULD RUN INTO
PROBLEMS, BUT THEY DECIDED TO UTILIZE IT ANYWAY AND I GUESS
THE BIG SELLING POINT IS THAT THIS COMPUTER SYSTEM IS SUPPOSED
TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS WITH OTHER CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES
IN OTHER STATES, BUT SO FAR WE'VE ONLY SEEN THE DOWNSIDES.
I THINK THAT EXAMPLE THAT YOU SHARED POINTS TO ONE OF THE MANY
DOWNSIDES WHICH IS JUST INCREASED POLICE ENCOUNTERS.
THAT ESCALATION CAN BE DEADLY IN SOME COMMUNITIES.
I DON'T WANT
TO BE AN ALARMIST ABOUT THAT BUT IT IS A VERY GRAVE REALITY.
I
THINK ALSO IN TERMS OF THE LAWSUITS, CITIZENS ARE ON THE
HOOK FOR THIS, RIGHT?
ULTIMATELY SOMETHING THAT COULD'VE BEEN REMEDIED
BECAUSE THERE WERE WARNINGS THAT WE END UP PAYING FOR IT.
ALL OF THESE POLICE MISTAKES, THE CITIZENS AND OF HAVING
TO PAY FOR IT WHICH IS PROBLEMATIC.
YOU ALSO PAY FOR THE RESOURCES THAT IT TAKES TO KEEP
SOMEONE BEHIND BARS.
BY THE WAY, WHAT I READ YOU AS AN EXAMPLE
WAS BAD, BUT THERE ARE CASES THAT ARE EVEN WORSE.
THE
COMPUTER SYSTEM REGISTERED COMPLETELY INNOCENT PEOPLE AS
SEX OFFENDERS IN SOME CASES AND THEN ALSO, KEEP IN MIND IF YOU
ARE IN JAIL WHEN YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN JAIL FOR A
WEEK, TWO WEEKS, YOU ARE A WAY FROM YOUR JOB.
YOU ARE AWAY
FROM YOUR FAMILY.
YOU COULD LOSE HER JOB AND IN MOST CASES
YOU WILL IF THAT HAPPENS.
IT IS DEVASTATING FOR THE LIVES OF ALL
OF THESE INNOCENT PEOPLE WHO DEALT WITH CONSEQUENCES THAT
THEY DID NOT DESERVE AND IF THE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY WAS
WARNED AHEAD OF TIME AND THERE WERE STORIES DATING BACK TO
TWO YEARS AGO THAT THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, THEN WHY
WERE THEY SO NONCHALANT ABOUT THAT?
YOU ARE TOYING WITH PEOPLE'S LIVES.
WE SHOULD HAVE AS MUCH THOUGHT AND PEOPLE SHOULD BE AS
CAREFUL AS POSSIBLE BEFORE SWITCHING OVER TO A NEW SYSTEM,
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT DEALS WITH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.
BECAUSE IN AMERICA, IF YOU ARE IMPRISONED OR YOU ARE
CONVICTED OR YOU ARE ARRESTED, YOU AUTOMATICALLY LOSE SOME
SENSE OF YOUR CITIZENSHIP.
YOU ARE EITHER A SECOND-CLASS
CITIZEN OR YOU TO SEND EVEN FURTHER DOWN, IF YOU'VE A FELONY
YOU CANNOT VOTE ANYMORE.
THERE IS A STIGMA ATTACHED TO BEING A
PART OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AS SOMEBODY WHO HAS BEEN
CONVICTED OR CRIMINALIZED FOR SOMETHING.
THEIR LESSER
DISPOSABLE.
THEY PROBABLY DIDN'T EVEN ACT AS QUICKLY AS
THEY COULD'VE IN THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE SOMEBODY IS
BEING HELD FOR, SUPPOSED TO BE HELD FOR TWO DAYS AND THEN HELD
FOR TWO WEEKS AND I AM SURE YOU PROTESTED AGAINST AND I'M SURE
THEY IGNORED IT AND THE WOMAN WHO HAD ALREADY PAID BOND WAS
REPEATEDLY TOLD TO PAY FOR A BOND SHE HAD PAID A LONG TIME
PRIOR BUT AGAIN, THEY ARE VIEWED IS NOT TRUSTWORTHY BECAUSE
THEY'VE HAD THIS ENCOUNTER WITH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND
AGAIN, I SHOULD JUST ALSO DIVULGE BECAUSE I AM ACTUALLY A
PRISON ABOLITIONIST SO I KNOW THAT TAKES ME TO A FAR LEFT SIDE
BUT IN THESE SORT OF CIRCUMSTANCES, HOLDING PEOPLE
LONGER, MAKING THEM PAY, THE CITIZENS OF THE ISSUES AT HAND
EYE DOESN'T SOLVE THE ISSUE OF PREVENTING SOMEONE FROM COMING
BACK INTO THE SYSTEM AND KEEPING THEM LONGER, THIS IS WHY ODYSSEY
CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM INTO BECOMING THE LOGIC BECAUSE THEY
HAVE SUCH A HUGE TENTACLE THAT SOME SORT OF SYSTEM IS
NEEDED, LIKE YOU SAID, TO HAVE SOME SORT OF ORDINATION
BECAUSE IT IS JUST SO MASSIVE.
IT IS.
AND WE DO IN PRISON MORE PEOPLE THAN ANY OTHER
COUNTRY IN THE WORLD AND OUR RECIDIVISM RATE IS INCREDIBLY
HIGH.
WE HAVE REPEAT OFFENDERS AND IT IS BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES
NONVIOLENT PEOPLE GET LOCKED AWAY AND THEY LEARNED CRIMINAL
HABITS WHILE THEY ARE BEHIND BARS BECAUSE YOU UNFORTUNATELY
IN SOME CASES NEED THOSE HABITS TO SURVIVE.
I THINK THE MOST,
IN MY OPINION THE BEST EXAMPLE OF HOW SOCIETY LOOKS AT
PRISONERS AS THROWAWAYS IS HOW CONGRESS, EVEN NOW, REFUSES TO
ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF PRISON RAPE.
THEY JUST REFUSE TO
ADDRESS IT.
THEY DON'T CARE.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS A STRONG AND
UNFAIR THING TO SAY THAT AMERICANS DON'T CARE BUT
PRISON RAPE IS COMMON.
EVERYONE KNOWS THAT HAPPENS AND NOTHING IS EVER DONE ABOUT
IT BECAUSE THEY ARE LOOKED UPON AS UNTRUSTWORTHY AS IS
ALWAYS A SOCIETY.
AND IF YOU DO ANYTHING TO YOUR JUMPSUIT YOU COULD BE
CONVICTED OF VANDALISM TO PUBLIC PROPERTY.
SO I MEAN.
PRISON IS AN INDUSTRY.
IT DEFINITELY IS.
WE BENEFIT FROM MASS INCARCERATIONS AND WE ARE CAN DO
ANYTHING TO REMEDY
THIS ISSUES.